The bulk vending arts commonly employ injection molded plastic capsules for storing and dispensing discrete items such as small toys, nuts, candy, and the like. Without encapsulation, small items often possessing irregularly shaped peripheral surfaces, cannot be dispensed or otherwise will jam in the dispensing mechanism of a typical bulk vending machine. Not only does such jamming prevent proper operation of the machine and corresponding loss of revenue, but also it creates the need for additional maintenance caused by undesirable residue and debris. For this reason the industry has adopted use of bifurcated plastic capsules to encapsulate smaller/pourable products to allow vending thereof from conventional bulk vending machines. Providing a substantially regular outer surface, small items sealed in a capsule effectively eliminates jamming. Furthermore, by encasing the items, the amount of waste and residue in the storage hopper and dispensing mechanism is reduced, thus, reducing maintenance requirements.
A common form of plastic encapsulation packaging is the ovoid or "egg" shaped capsule. Such capsules typically provide an oblongated shell achieved by an interference fit of either two half eggs or a half egg combined with a cap. In the bulk vending field such capped capsules are composed of two molded plastic sections, one being hemispherical and being composed of clear polystyrene and the other comprising a snap-on, rounded, polyethylene or polypropylene cap. In either form, the resulting capsules are capable of receiving and retaining a specific quantity of candy, goop, nuts, toys, miscellaneous small articles, etc. Such eggs, while perfectly suited for various single-use retail and vending applications, do not contemplate certain problems associated with specific bulk vending applications involving pluralities of very small, particulate, or fluid items. In the case of finely particulate confectioneries (small bead candy, flavored sugars, drops, etc.) the efficacy of the capsule is limited by the number of times it can be reentered by the purchaser to access the contents. In the case of colored or flavored sugars, for example, the capsule can be rendered effectively useless by when one of the capsule components breaks, thus preventing effective resealing. Furthermore, a bifurcated capsule may not be suitably adapted for sequential opening and closing.
For example, the structural integrity of the closure may be compromised once the interference or friction fit components are separated. In such a case, the capsule cannot be resealed properly leading to separation of the capsule halves and resulting spillage of the previously encapsulated items (nuts, small candies, etc.) The breakage problem is not necessarily eliminated by merely changing the composition, increasing the thickness (and expense), etc. of the interference fit portions. Where the degree of interference or friction fit is increased to provide for adequate capsule reassembly while preserving structural integrity, non-destructive separation of the capsule components for access to the capsule contents may become increasingly difficult. Given that children are the most common consumers of such containers in the bulk vending field, requiring increased coordinated force to overcome enhanced frictional engagement may pose a problem and be beyond the capabilities of the purchaser, particularly a young or disabled purchaser.
One example of a capsule that appears to address the vending pourable materials from bulk vending apparatus is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,064,073. That patent provides an outer shell for dispensing pourable or very small items. It represents a one-piece construction with a small capped opening. However, as described, the opening is illustrated with a tape seal, which is not readily adapted for reentry.
Another, somewhat more familiar, container for controlled dispensing of small items and possessing a re-enterable, plastic molded, hinge-flap containing opening, is the "TIC-TAC" box. However, the box structure of such a box-like container is not generally suitable for bulk vending applications.
The foregoing underscores the problems associated with conventional egg/capsule structures in connection with controlled, discretionary dispensing of small/particulate items contained by the capsule. Furthermore, the foregoing highlights a need for a readily re-enterable capsule capable of being dispensed from a bulk vending machine and dispensing small/particulate items in a controlled manner.